Sindh govt curtails city’s budget: Mayor

KARACHI - Mayor Karachi Wasim Akhtar said that the Sindh Government had curtailed Karachi budget in the previous ten years and only one percent was allocated for Karachi in the next year’s budget which is Rs 1.66 billion lesser than the previous amount.

He said this while addressing a press conference along with district chairmen in his office on Monday, said a statement. Deputy mayor Syed Arshad Hasan was also present on the occasion. He said that 135 projects remained incomplete in Karachi due to short release in the previous fiscal year.

He said that they allocated only one percent of the total budget for 2019-20 for mega project of Karachi whereas the fourth quarter of the amount allocated in previous year annual development program was also not released due to which 135 projects could not be completed.

The Mayor said that the NFC award amount has been increased from Rs 600 to 800 billion in the country, therefore Sindh government should not be complaining the shortage of funds or released from the federal government.

He said that annual Rs 6 billion were curtailed from the Octroi share for KMC which was injustice to this city which provided 95 percent revenue to the government.

The Mayor Karachi said that they announced raise in salary of government employees for political reasons and alleged that they did not give the additional money to the finance department which in turn has to be paid by KMC from over recoveries and this created more problems for local governments.

This year also KMC has to face an additional burden of Rs 76 crore annually due to increase in salary of employees, he added.

He said that mega projects did not pertain to the provincial government and expressed apprehension that the Rs 1.66 billion amount allocated for development in Karachi would also be misused.

The district chairmen Rehan Hashmi, Moeed Anwer, Nayyar Raza and Izhar Ahmed Khan also spoke on this occasion and informed about the financial and other problems being faced by the districts in Karachi.